


A Moth in a Web

by LegoLock



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: AU, First Meetings, M/M, Moth!John, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-15
Updated: 2015-02-15
Packaged: 2018-03-12 23:27:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3359252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LegoLock/pseuds/LegoLock
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How Sherlock met Moth!John and how he expresses his fondness of the little creature on the most romantic holiday of the year.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Moth in a Web

**Author's Note:**

> A gift for Victoria-is-obsessed on tumblr for the homelessnetwork-221bcon Secret Cupid!

It was Valentine's Day. Sherlock knew because there was a cute card from John propped up beside his microscope with a steaming cup of tea in a pink cup. Sherlock didn't usually enjoy holidays...particularly sentimental ones, but it was hard to be upset at one's flatmate when they were a cute little moth-man with a fondness for rather ugly sweaters.

The lanky detective smiled as he sipped the tea and sought John out. Normally he didn't get into the spirit of these holidays, but he actually had a gift for the man who had rather made his life a bit more bearable...and certainly less lonely. As he suspected, he found the small man working away on his computer. Body stretched over the keyboard and wings spread to take in the wonderful morning light. One was still a little battered from his time in Baskerville, which hindered his flight, but it was hardly noticeable.

Sherlock watched John as he typed away at his latest blog entry. The little mot-man reaching across the large keyboard with a determined face. Sherlock could hardly believe it had been little more than a year since he'd found the moth-man. Little more than a year since he and John had essentially become partners. Admittedly it seemed a little comical to have a moth for a companion, but John was favourable company.

And today, Sherlock meant to show him that he cherished the little moth-man he'd found on a case oh so long ago...

 

* * *

 

_Sherlock's latest case? A very respected, but reclusive, entomologist found dead in his home...which happened to be overflowing with jars of insects. Of course, most everybody assumed the man had been bitten by one of his poisonous spiders. The 'bite marks' seemed to point to that as the answer._

_However, Sherlock wasn't so sure._

_It all seemed too perfect._

_A little bit of searching, careful searching due to the fact that several of the jars once holding spiders were now broken open, resulted in Sherlock finding a security tag from Baskerville. It was becoming clear that whatever kind of entomology this dead man had been doing, was not the kind sanctioned by the government. At least not officially. Before the detective could search for more answers, Mycroft arrived on the scene. So had a task force of his 'goons'._

“ _Thank you, but your services are no longer required.” Mycroft Holmes said curtly to Lestrade, who was just a bit put off by his crime scene being overrun with government officials. “That goes for you too, brother mine.”_

_Sherlock glared at his brother, about to demand explanation...but two very large and very insistent men in suits hassled him out of the room, into the hall, with the rest of the confused officers. Leaving Sherlock holding the Baskerville badge and burning with even more resentment for his brother._

“ _You can't do this!” Sherlock shouted, frustrated, at the closed door._

_Lestrade sighed, “It looks like he just did...come on. Let it go, Sherlock.”_

_The lanky detective wanted to do no such thing, but what choice did he have? Unlike his brother, he didn't have the power, in terms of government backing, to stop it. He glared quietly for a few long moment, before starting to follow the officers out._

“ _Go away!”_

_The voice was a near whisper compared to the tromping of footsteps, but Sherlock hear it. He heard the terror and pain in the tiny scream! The lanky detective looked around sharply, maybe there was someone stuck in a room? A basement? His bright eyes swept over the door again...and that’s where he saw it._

_Tangled in a rather large web, in a dark corner over the door frame, was a creature that could only be from Baskerville. A tiny hybrid._

**A moth-human hybrid.**

_Sherlock's eyes were wide and he froze a second as he took in the impossible sight. A tiny man, probably no larger than seven centimetres tall, stocky build, blonde hair, nude...scarred. Sprouting from his mop of unkempt hair were two large, fuzzy, antenna. Growing from his back were delicate and extravagantly large wings. Moth wings, ._ **Coscinocera hercules** _(a Hercules moth) to be exact. They spanned, approximately twenty centimetres in length and really rather dwarfed the man they were attached to. They were a dazzlingly dark shade of burgundy. A shade which hued the skin immediately around the wings themselves._

_All in all...the little fellow was a rather stunning sight to behold. But, there was little time to admire the creature, for it was clearly in peril. The moth-man was tangled in a web after all, a web inhabited by an almost too large and fearsome looking spider. Probably one of the escaped ones from the room. It was crawling its way over to the struggling moth-man...looking far too eager._

_Sherlock hardly thought twice before he strode over to the scene, or rather...hopped over as he fought to free a shoe from his foot. He was glad he was so tall, or this would have been a very poor rescue effort indeed. The little moth-man wailed again as the spider loomed over him, at about the same time as Sherlock rose the shoe._

**WHAM!**

_Sherlock winced at the horrible crunching noise that accompanied the loud smack which mashed the spider against the wall! Then, with urgent, but gentle, hands he puled the moth-man and most of the webbing free! He tried not to mash the little fellow's wing's as he shoved him into his coat just as the door swung open and Mycroft stuck his head out._

“ _I would surmise this to be your killer.” Sherlock said quickly and airy as he motioned to the dead...squished...spider. “You're welcome.” Striding hurriedly out of the house to catch a cab...still holding his one shoe..._

 

* * *

 

Perhaps it wasn't the fondest memory, in a sense, but it was one Sherlock cherished...because it was the one that had brought John into his life. He strode over the John's workplace as the little moth-man stood back to read the line he'd written up.

“And what's this one called?” Sherlock asked as he leaned in to read the text as well.

“The Speckled Blonde.” John's little voice replied softly as his antenna twitched and he turned to examine the taller man standing over him. He smiled up at Sherlock, who was making a face at the name. “I know...another terrible pun.” He laughed just a bit, his tiny voice reminding Sherlock of what pixies in stories were meant to sound like.

The little blonde moth grinned and then fluttered up from the computer to land on Sherlock's shoulder, a place they both rather preferred John to be. He kissed Sherlock's cheek gently, his antenna tickling Sherlock's flesh.

“Happy Valentine's Day.”

Sherlock smiled and then gasped, as if just recalling he'd brought something for John. He fished a small box out of his trousers and held it up tot eh mot-man on his shoulder. The little squeak of surprise and pleasure that emitted from John made Sherlock all but glow as he turned his head to observe John opening the box.

The blonde moth-man's wings fluttered with surprise and another squeak of pleasure escaped him as he reached into the box and pulled out the shell.

“You always said you wanted a pet...” The detective murmured into his tea as he watched the snail slowly unfold and poke its eyes slowly out to examine John. Who was all but jumping up and down as he gleefully held the unusual pet. “It's from the same place...Baskerville. Mycroft was telling me they were trying to make them smarter...I don't know if it is, but I thought it would suit you much better than sitting on his desk.”

“You stole him?” John smiled and hugged the side of Sherlock's face, incidentally pressing a wet snail to his cheek. The man didn't protest, because he rather liked the adoration of the small moth-man too much to scold him for a little slime. “Thank you!” John squeaked and clumsily flapped away with his new companion in tow. “Come, Gladstone! I'll show you my room!”

Sherlock followed at a leisurely pace with a smile and mumbled, “Happy Valentine's Day, John.”


End file.
